Scrooge Analysis

Scrooge (before the ghosts)

Scrooge is portrayed as a selfish man at the start of the novel. He is described as, 'a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'

Scrooge is a very isolated character and is said to be, 'hard and sharp as flint' as well as, 'solitary as an oyster'

He is a very bitter character and in the novel it says that, 'No wind that blew was bitterer than he'

Scrooge is unsympathetic towards other and doesn't accept donating to charity. He also thinks that paying taxes is enough.

Charles Dickens describes Scrooge as cold and icy. A good quote to back this up is, 'froze his old features'.

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Scrooge (Ghost of Christmas Past)

We learn alot about Scrooge's past during his experiance with the Ghost of Christmas Past. The reader finds it easier to relate to Scrooge's pessimistic portrayal at the start of the novel.

Dickens creates sympathy for Scrooge through his description of, 'a lonely boy'. We find out that young Scrooge was left there as his father won't let him home for Christmas.

Later during his experiance with the Ghost of Chistmas Past we see that Scrooge is very distressed at seeing the break-up scene between him and Belle. Belle says that he says money as an, 'idol'. This distress is made much worse by the vision of her happy family. Scrooge the pleads, 'in a broken voice', to be shown no more by the spirit. It shows that this break-up may have contributed to his cynical personality in Chapter One.

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Scrooge (Ghost of Christmas Present)

During Scrooge's time with the Ghost of Christmas Present, he see other characters talking about him behind his back. Mrs. Cratchit calls him an, 'odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man', and a poor couple, who owe him money, say he's, 'merciless'.

We see Scrooge feel empathy again with the story of Tiny Tim. Scrooge asks the ghost if the boy will die with, 'an interest he had never felt before'.

The Ghost uses Tiny Tim to show Scrooge that his beliefs about, 'the surplus population', are wrong. Scrooge is very much saddened by what he said in the past. He then sees that helping others, like Tiny Tim, is now his responsibility.

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Scrooge (Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come)

When Scrooge encounters this Ghost, his is fearful.

By showing the thoughts and feelings of other people about the death of Scrooge. He is frightened and he now wishes he was never like his previous self.

The Ghost is purely here to scare Scrooge and make sure that he doesn't go back to what he was before. This is done by scaring Scrooge.

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Scrooge (after the Ghosts)

Scrooge, after his experiance with the Ghosts, has changed completely.

Scrooge laughs at himself and says the he is, 'as merry as a school-boy'

He is now very charitable and buys the Cratchits a Christmas turkey and he makes a large donation to charity.

Scrooge also says, 'I'll raise your salary', to Bob Cratchit.

He is now very happy as the text says, 'Scrooge regarded every one with a delighted smile'.

Scrooge has also changed his mind about the Christmas spirit as the comments that he, 'knew how to keep Christmas well'.

Overall, the three spirits show Scrooge how to value family and he embraces his nephew's family and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim.